Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred Review for PlayStation 5

Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred Review for PlayStation 5:

“Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred” is a $40 expansion that adds a fresh layer of excitement to the already robust “Diablo IV” experience. The standout feature is the new Spiritborn class—a fierce melee fighter who channels mystical animal powers. I was quickly reminded of the “Diablo III” Monk class, but with a pretty cool primal twist, making it feel fresh and unique. Playing as the Spiritborn has been a blast, especially as you unlock powerful Spirit Guardians that complement your playstyle. Nahantu, the newly introduced region, offers a host of fresh challenges, including new dungeons, strongholds, and terrifying foes. But what really stands out is the Dark Citadel, a co-op dungeon that pushes teamwork more than ever before. Tackling its puzzles and bosses with friends is the best way to go, just make sure you have coordination and skill. If you enjoyed “Diablo III’s” Greater Rifts, the Kurast Undercity delivers a similar thrill, giving you an intense Rift-style activity to dive into.

Mercenaries make their return, and they’re better than ever, each with their own personality and fully customizable skill tree. Runewords also make a triumphant comeback, adding exciting new synergies by letting you borrow abilities from other classes. On top of all that, the new Party Finder tool is a long-awaited feature that makes grouping up easier than ever.

Alongside the expansion, Season 6, “Hatred Rising,” adds a new world event, elixir, and a reputation system to sink your teeth into. Blizzard has clearly listened to player feedback—the game feels more balanced, and the additional content breathes new life into the experience. Over a year “Diablo IV” is still kicking and this expansion does a great job to continue to give it longer legs.

9/10

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Note: The original Diablo IV review below was written in June of last year.

We are finally back in hell, it’s hot in here, but I like it! “Diablo IV” of course is developed and published by Blizzard, and it finally brings the franchise of Diablo back to its awesome dark roots we saw back in “Diablo II.” A notable concern I had was with Activision Blizzard’s potential for predatory microtransactions. Given last year’s release of “Diablo: Immortal” on mobile devices, which suffered from an excessive reliance on microtransactions to a predatory degree, there was serious apprehension on my part that “Diablo IV” may follow suit. Fortunately for me and all fans out there that for now that is not the case. I will continue to hope that they don’t potentially undermine the greatness of the game in its current state down the line.

This fourth installment takes us on a gripping journey as “the Wanderer” who becomes entangled in the prophecy of Lilith’s return, the Queen of the Succubi and daughter of the notorious villain Mephisto. In this bleak world, you of course have to bring it upon yourself to do all that you can to save the world. The story in “Diablo IV” surpassed my expectations, and provided a rich and captivating narrative that was done a lot differently than previous installments. The inclusion of numerous cutscenes, featuring your own intricately designed character, elevates the dark and foreboding narrative, really adding a personal investment to the overall experience.

Upon starting the game, you’re presented with the choice of five distinct classes: Barbarian, Druid, Necromancer, Rogue, and Sorcerer. Each class offers a unique playstyle and abilities, providing a diverse range of how you want to take down your enemies. The level of customization for your character’s appearance is also remarkably detailed, really surpassing the customization options of all previous games. The art style in “Diablo IV” is so incredibly dark and cool, it fully embraces the series’ signature darkness and grim atmosphere. With its shadowed aesthetics and superb graphics, the game captures the spooky essence that the first two games had.

One of the standout features of the game is its vastness. The map is incredibly expansive, offering an immense world to explore. Even after completing the main story, there remains a multitude of uncharted territories, don’t be surprised if you stumble upon very overpowered bosses that will crush you in an instant. While the expansive map is impressive, I felt that the introduction of a mount earlier in the game would have been very beneficial. Nonetheless, acquiring a mount later on is immensely satisfying, the game really pops off when you can traverse the landscape so much faster.

Interactions within the game world hold significance, even in smaller side quests. Undertaking tasks like escorting a ghost while being pursued by a horde of demons adds depth to the game’s immersive world, creating a sense of a twisted yet lived-in environment that I missed so much from “Diablo III.” Randomized events throughout the game not only keep things fresh but also gives you opportunities for obtaining valuable loot. The rarity of items, indicated by color-coded tiers, enhances your character skills and stats, which is essentially the biggest hook in the game, always on the lookout for better items to better yourself. There are also so many different skills that you can acquire and try, I ended up resetting my talent tree to experiment with different skill combinations, refining my character to suit my preferred playstyle, many of which I didn’t even know existed until I found a piece of armor that used it.

Blizzard excels at keeping players engaged for extended periods (not just tens of hours, but hundreds of hours), and “Diablo IV” is no exception. The endgame content is extensive and vital to the overall success of the game. Unlocked after completing the main campaign, these extra dungeons offer increased difficulty and they really demand you to build up a team of friends to take them on. I often played these games alone, but this is the first in the series that has me excited to play in a group. If I had to nitpick, a minor complaint is the lack of an offline mode, requiring players to be constantly connected to a server to access their characters is kind of annoying. Although, I guess there is an advantage of this online requirement because the cross-platform play is incredibly seamless, I was able to hop off from my PlayStation 5 version and hop onto the PC version instantly and continue right where I left off.

This game doesn’t reinvent the wheel by any means, but what it does it does incredibly well, taking the best of what fans loved of the previous titles and making the most addicting and visually captivating isometric ARPG of all time. The long wait for a true new Diablo game is finally upon us and it did not disappoint. As I’m writing this, I can’t stop thinking about getting my friends together to take down these grotesque demons and save the world together.

9/10

Related: Reviews by Nick Navarro

Nick Navarro

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Gaming since I was given an original Nintendo as a kid. I love great storytelling and unique ingenuity. When both collide in a single game, I'm a happy gamer. Twitter/IG @NickNavarro87